Caitlin Clark and the word competitive go hand in hand; everyone knows that. The Indiana Fever rookie is currently in the middle of her inaugural WNBA season, and her affinity for competition remains as strong as ever. In fact, Clark's tendency to get the best of her opponents seems to manifest outside the court as well, based on a recent video on X.
The six-foot guard attended a charity event, and she decided to play a friendly game of 1-on-1 against a child. As the kid tried shooting over Clark, she hilariously swatted the attempt away, much to the lighthearted laughter of everyone present. Here's the clip below, per Brie Lewerke.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown
Looking at her demeanor in the video, Clark seemed to be enjoying the event. It probably felt like a breath of fresh air compared to everything else that surrounds her at the moment.
Ever since Clark was drafted as this year's top overall pick, she's been a recurring topic of conversation ā both positive and negative. From her in-game performances, to her impact on the growth of the WNBA, to her exclusion from Team USA ā plenty of external noise looms around the Fever's prized rookie.
One can imagine how difficult it is to deal with that kind of publicity and pressure on a daily basis. It takes a lot of mental fortitude to tune out the noise and just focus on the game.
Nonetheless, it can also be argued that Clark's ordeal is something that many great athletes have gone through. Across all team sports, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for those deemed as superstars. They garner the most praise during periods of smooth sailing. But when the going gets tough, it's also they who bear the brunt of the criticism.
Clark is a once-in-a-generation talent. She's projected by many to become one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, and her impact on women's basketball has been second to none. In other words, all the adversity comes with the territory.
Caitlin Clark's rookie season so far
As for Clark's on-court play, it's been an up-and-down ride so far. There were nights where she struggled, finishing with single-digit tallies in points. Regardless, the 22-year-old has also shown flashes of elite play. Against the Washington Mystics this past friday, Clark scored 30 points, matching her career high several games prior. She was named the league's Rookie of the Month back in May.
In 13 games so far, she's averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.9 rebounds. It's not the Iowa Caitlin Clark that everyone's used to, but her numbers are pretty good for a rookie. In fact, Clark became the fastest rookie in WNBA history to record 100 points and 50 assists.
Compared to college, the WNBA is a different beast altogether. To put it another way, fans need to wait and give Clark time to find her footing before expecting Hawkeye-like levels of dominance. There's no telling how long that would be, but knowing Caitlin Clark, it'll surely happen one of these days.
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